John William Roscoe

John ("Bill") William Roscoe,95, of Modesto, California, passed away unexpectedly, yet peacefully, on March 1,2026. He was born on September 9,1930, in Modesto, California, to John and Lenora (Jewel) Roscoe. The Roscoe family owned the local public pool in Riverbank, where Bill's lifelong love for water began. He became a skilled diver and received a scholarship to the local junior college, but he chose to join the Navy in 1948.

Bill had a remarkable career in the Navy, serving on several submarines, including the Besugo, Pomfret, Rasher, and the nuclear-powered USS Ethan Allen, which carried nuclear ballistic missiles. He was part of the USS Ethan Allen crew when the boat was commissioned. He was onboard during the Cuban Missile Crisis when it launched the only live nuclear warhead ever launched to warn Nikita Khrushchev of our submarines' capabilities. Bill was the sonar operator on all the boats and a senior Chief on the Ethan Allen. Retiring after 20 years of service as a Fleet Anti-Submarine Warfare School in San Diego, he worked at the Hershey plant in Oakdale as the electrical supervisor for 21 years, retiring at the age of 59.

Bill married Roberta (Bobbie) Hazard of Riverbank in 1950. They had two children, Stacy and Johnny. Bill served in the Pacific initially but was then transferred to the Groton, Connecticut submarine base. Bill and Bobbie divorced and he was transferred back to San Diego in 1964. While on leave back home he met Janyce Julius of Modesto. She had four children; Vicki, Thad, Ross and Ellen. They married in 1966.

Bill and Janyce were married for nearly 60 years. Bill was a Master Mason of the Masonic lodge in Riverbank. He had a wide range of interests, from model railroads and remote-controlled planes and boats to designing and building unique home improvements. His garage was a fully equipped wonderland, capable of crafting anything from wood to metal.

His most impressive creation was a hand built, ride-on coal-burning locomotive- many of the parts he created. He also built several other rail cars and spent countless hours laying down track both at his father-in-law's property in Ceres, and at Dave Martini’s in Modesto where they would give rides to kids, grandkids, and good friends. Bill was a member of a bowling league for many years and played the trumpet with a group of friends. His love for swimming never waned. Stories abound of his diving adventures into their home pool, and he even took his 11-year-old grandson to the waterslide park in Tracy when he was 77 and bravely tackled the scariest slide.

Bill and Jan enjoyed their home life with close neighbors, relatives, and high school friends. Their pool was a place for everyone to gather. Bill will be remembered as a man who honored his family and country and was one of the "good ones" because of his friendly nature, great sense of humor, and willingness to lend a hand whenever he could.

Bill is survived by his wife, Janyce Roscoe, his children Stacy Lilly of Virginia Beach, Johnny Roscoe of Ohio, Vicki Hanes (Partridge) of Vacaville, Thad Partridge of San Francisco, Ross Partridge of Modesto, and Ellen Partridge of Walnut Creek, grandchildren Jennifer, Marcia, Erica, John, Tyler, and Clara, along with five great grandchildren.